Anderson honored at second annual Honoree's Banquet

Leroy Whitaker, right, presented Gary Anderson, center, and his sister Teri Smith, left, with a plaque honoring their late father, Ken Anderson, during the second annual Honoree's Banquet at Bavarian Hills on Sunday afternoon. The plaque will be hung on the Founder's Wall at the facility. Photo by Becky Polaski.

The late Ken Anderson was one of two individuals honored on Sunday afternoon during the second annual Bavarian Hills Honoree's Banquet. Anderson assisted with much of the electrical work in the construction of the original clubhouse for the golf course.
Anderson's son, Gary, addressed banquet attendees on behalf of both his family and the family of his sister, Terri Smith, who was also in attendance. He noted that his father had not always been an avid golfer and instead became involved with the efforts to build the golf course after retiring.
"My dad retired from West Penn in 1988 and was looking for something to do, and lo and behold, there was a group of golfers building a golf course. He knew how to work some construction, having just helped finish my wife Laura's and my house, and he offered to help, which was accepted, as anybody would accept free labor. My dad really enjoyed wiring and working on the clubhouse," Anderson said.
Anderson noted that his father had frequently talked about the project, specifically how all the labor to build the original building was donated, as was the material that he was using to wire the facility.
"It's efforts like this and the group of people from St. Marys that make St. Marys in the top quartile in per capita recreation spending in the state. If all donations, material and labor were compiled, I'm sure that St. Marys would be number one," Anderson remarked.
He added that once the golf course opened, his father worked as a course ranger and also played golf at the facility on a number of occasions.
Anderson also expressed his family's appreciation to everyone involved in building the Bavarian Hills Golf Course because of the enjoyment his father had in being a part of the project.
Leroy Whitaker, president of the board at Bavarian Hills, presented Gary Anderson with a bottle of wine that was engraved with a statement acknowledging Ken Anderson for his efforts in helping to establish the golf course. Whitaker also presented Anderson with a plaque honoring his late father, which will be hung on the Founder's Wall in the facility's clubhouse.